California Assemblyman Vince Fong appears to have handily won California’s special election yesterday, bringing the Republican Party’s slim majority in the House up to five.
With 87 percent of the votes in, The New York Times had Fong up over opponent and fellow Republican Mike Boudreaux 60.2 to 39.8, making it essentially impossible for Boudreaux to win unless something happens to change that math.
Fong won the special election to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who resigned at the end of 2023 after being ousted from the speakership and endorsed Fong in the race.
Fong had also been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who quickly celebrated Fong’s victory on social media.
Fong and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux were the top two vote-getters in California’s March primary, which pitted them against each other in the run-off according to California’s election system, which is unlike most other states.
Fong, a former aide to McCarthy according to NBC News, will now serve out the remainder of his former boss’s term as the representative for California’s 20th Congressional District.
Once he’s sworn in, Republicans will enjoy a five-vote majority in the House, giving House Speaker Mike Johnson a little more breathing room in the contentious political body.
The timing of that ceremony has not yet been set, according to The Associated Press, and will be scheduled by Johnson, but one presumes he’d like that to happen as soon as practical.
“The 20th District contest was the first of three House special elections taking place for vacant GOP seats over the next five weeks,” CNN reported late Tuesday.
“The next is on June 11 in Ohio’s 6th Congressional District. Voters there will decide on a successor to former Rep. Bill Johnson, who resigned to become the president of Youngstown State University,” the outlet noted. “Then, on June 25, Colorado’s 4th District will hold a special election to succeed former Rep. Ken Buck, a hard-line conservative who clashed with his own party at times. Following his resignation announcement in March, Buck told CNN in March that Congress had ‘devolved into this bickering and nonsense and not really doing the job for the American people.’”
Fong also celebrated his victory on social media, saying that the early voting results filled him with “humility and gratitude.”
“With the campaign over, the real work begins,” he added. “In Congress, I will remain focused on solving the tough issues facing our community — securing the border, supporting small business, bringing investment in water storage and infrastructure, unleashing our energy industry, and keeping the United States safe amidst the grave security threats facing our nation.”
“Now is the time to unite and work together to fight for our way of life,” he added.
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George Upper is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Western Journal and was a weekly co-host of “WJ Live,” powered by The Western Journal. He is currently a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. A former U.S. Army special operator, teacher and consultant, he is a lifetime member of the NRA and an active volunteer leader in his church. Born in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he has lived most of his life in central North Carolina.
George Upper, is the former editor-in-chief of The Western Journal and is now a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. He currently serves as the connections pastor at Awestruck Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a former U.S. Army special operator, teacher, manager and consultant. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Foxborough High School before joining the Army and spending most of the next three years at Fort Bragg. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English as well as a Master’s in Business Administration, all from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He and his wife life only a short drive from his three children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and in his spare time he shoots, reads a lot of Lawrence Block and John D. MacDonald, and watches Bruce Campbell movies. He is a fan of individual freedom, Tommy Bahama, fine-point G-2 pens and the Oxford comma.
